Untitled Ficlet
by BadWolfGirl01
Summary: The Warrior meets dimension hopping!Rose on an empty planet. Light Time War Angst.


The Warrior sits on the edge of a cliff, his feet dangling off into midair, staring into the distance. He really shouldn't be here-he's broken the Time Lock just to get here, this uninhabited planet in the middle of the Andromeda galaxy, and he's probably breaking at least a dozen of the cardinal Laws of Time. Not that he particularly cared about most of the Laws of Time even _before_ the War (except for the universe-shattering ones); and the War's very existence contradicts most of them, anyway. Romana-Imperiatrix Romana (not friend-companion Romana)-will call him back soon enough, once she discovers he's gone again. She does every time.

Even here, completely alone, as far removed from the War as he possibly _can_ be, there's no peace from the constantly splintering timelines, from all the pasts and presents and futures-he can hardly breathe even now, all the presents where he remained on Gallifrey fighting with the presents where he's here (if he's even here), and in many of them he doesn't even recognize himself-

(he's shaking now, hands mapping out his War-worn face, eyes finding every wrinkle and blemish in his trembling, callused hands)

(he's seen the nearly empty Omega Arsenal and now when he dreams he sees his soldier's hands holding an intricate box)

(and even the Matrix now shows everything burning, burning, as the most likely timeline)

And then the universe _shivers_ and he hears footsteps.

He turns, rising, stepping away from the cliff's edge to see a tired young blonde standing with her back to him, wearing a blue leather jacket. He hesitates, then clears his throat.

"Excuse me, but who are you and where did you come from?"

The girl-human, he'd guess-whirls around, and his eyes narrow slightly at the way she instinctively reaches for her gun. There's tech strapped to her wrist that looks suspiciously like a modified Vortex manipulator, and combined with the 31st-century gun (or so he'd guess) and the 21st-century Earth clothing, he can only guess she's a time traveller.

"My name's Rose," the blonde says after a moment. "Rose Tyler."

(London accent-definitely human and a time traveller)

She looks like she's waiting for his name, but he remains silent, and after a tense minute she sighs and relents. "'M looking for someone, s'why 'm here."

"Who?"

She hesitates. "For-"

Her eyes suddenly see his TARDIS, and her entire demeanor changes. "'M looking for you-Doctor."

(not the Doctor not anymore)

"No," he says immediately, shaking his head. "Whatever it is you want, I won't do it." A pause. "And I am not the Doctor, not anymore. Whatever you want from me, bring it up with the Lady Imperiatrix of Gallifrey."

She freezes, whiskey-colored eyes widening with-shock?-and he can't help but wonder why there isn't more fear in them. Surely she knows about the War, there's no reason to seek him out besides it.

(maybe she doesn't want something)

"I knew I was too early," she says then, and it's his turn to be shocked now- "but I didn't know-oh, _Doctor_ ," and suddenly she takes several steps forward, reaching out to him. "The Time War, that's when you are. 'M so sorry, but I have to go."

He looks more closely at her, and something clicks. "You're from my future. A companion? Why are you searching for me?"

"Can't tell you that," she says seriously. "You've got to forget this ever happened, Doctor. You an' I were, well, separated an' 'm trying to get back to you. _My_ Doctor."

"After the end," he says. "It ends and I-survive. You aren't surprised by my face."

She laughs, then, smiling at him with her tongue between her teeth-it's a beautiful smile, really-eyes lighting up. "Was when you regenerated on me without telling me what was going on," she says.

"But you stayed." He stares into her eyes, intense. "The War ends? Tell me, please."

Something akin to sorrow shifts over her face. "It ends. An' you're still the Doctor even then, an' no matter what happens you always will be."

"No," he says decisively, shaking his head again. "I am not the Doctor, Rose. I was once, and perhaps I will be again."

She presses her lips together, shakes her head, but doesn't speak.

The Warrior reaches into his jacket, finally, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. The TARDIS chimes in his head-Romana's calling him back-but he tells Her to wait a moment, instead stepping towards Rose.

"Let me see that device, the one on your wrist," he says.

She hesitates before extending it to him, and he runs the sonic over it. The reprogramming takes only a moment, and then he smiles. Not the shattered-glass smile of War but a true smile, the first one in centuries it seems.

"If you connect your TARDIS key, it will lock onto Her position," he explains quickly. "The device is too primitive to properly calibrate the point in my timeline at which I will know you, but this gives you a better chance than just hopping about the universe. Duty calls-I must return to Gallifrey. Perhaps the end is not far away." He takes her hand, squeezes gently. "Best of luck, my dear."

She smiles, leaning forward to hug him tightly. "Thank you, Doctor."

And then she presses the button on her wrist-

And with a flash of blue-white, she's gone.

The TARDIS calls him, again, and the Warrior blinks and shakes his head, unsure as to why he's merely standing and staring off into the horizon. Gallifrey calls, there's no time to delay. Maybe the War's end will be soon.

For the first time (for a reason he cannot _quite_ recall), the thought gives him hope.


End file.
